Mr Steven Bryant

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What views they have expressed to the Moroccan authorities about the imprisonment of Mr Steven Bryant, who has spent longer in a Moroccan prison following a conviction for drug offences than he would have done if convicted by a United Kingdom court for the same offence committed in the United Kingdom.

Baroness Amos: We have given, and will continue to offer, all the consular assistance we properly can to Mr Bryant. However, the United Kingdom does not interfere in the judicial processes of other countries. Our own judicial proceedings are similarly protected.

Anti-discrimination Legislation

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 20 May (WA76-77), what are their reasons for deciding not to introduce primary legislation to make it unlawful to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief and age, not only in the areas covered by the European Union directives (employment and occupation) but also in the provision of goods, facilities and services, thereby matching the provision of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Race Relations Act 1976.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Preparing new legislation to outlaw discrimination in work and vocational training on grounds of sexual orientation, religion and age is already a major undertaking and one on which we need to maintain a clear focus. On that basis, we have no plans at present to extend that legislation to cover the provision of goods, facilities and services.

Precision Guided Bomb

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress they are making with their plans to provide the Royal Air Force with full weather precision bombing capability; and what in-service dates for this capability they currently anticipate.

Lord Bach: Invitations to tender for the precision guided bomb contract were issued to six potential contractors in October 2001. Three of these, MBDA, Raytheon and SAGEM, agreed to participate in a two-stage assessment process. Stage one concluded on 31 May 2002, with the decision not to involve SAGEM any further forward in the competition. MBDA and Raytheon's bids will now be assessed in more detail during stage two of the process. The two-stage process reflects Smart acquisition in progress—the elimination of one tenderer at the end of stage one saves both the Ministry of Defence and industry time and money. It is expected that the final selection of a contractor will take place early next year.
	The in-service date for the precision guided bomb is planned for late 2006. In the interim, the Tornado GR4 has been given an all-weather precision guided bomb capability with enhanced paveway laser guided bombs, which entered service on 27 October 2001.

Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the cost-effectiveness of Tomahawk land attack missiles as launched by vessels of the Royal Navy; what improvements they are considering in arrangements for embarking these missiles; what plans they have for replenishing and increasing the stock of these missiles and for extending launch capability to further vessels and other platforms.

Lord Bach: The cost-effectiveness of the Tomahawk land attack missile (TLAM) capability was initially established when the project was approved in 1995. The missile's utility has since been confirmed during operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan when the availability of the TLAM capability from United Kingdom submarines enabled us to undertake precision attacks, at long range, against selected targets.
	The Block IIIC TLAM missiles, currently in service with the Royal Navy, are launched horizontally from submarine torpedo tubes. The next generation tactical Tomahawk (TACTOM) block IV missiles being produced for the US Navy can currently be fired only vertically and are therefore not suitable for UK submarines. Jointly funded UK-US feasibility studies have, however, identified a solution that would allow TACTOM to be launched horizontally from submarine torpedo tubes. Further development work is planned to start later this year, subject to completion of contractual negotiations. Improvements to arrangements for embarking Tomahawk missiles are not necessary.
	Since the original purchase of the block IIIC variation to TLAM, additional remanufactured TLAMs have been procured to replace those used during the Kosovo campaign. A contract for the further purchase of remanufactured TLAMs was also signed in February 2002. No decision has been taken on whether the UK should procure the next generation TACTOM block IV missile or whether the launch capability should be extended to further vessels or other platforms.

Smallpox Vaccine Procurement

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 8 May (WA 178), whether the procedure outlined in the Answer constituted a tender procedure; and, if not, how it differed.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The procedure used in the smallpox vaccine procurement constituted a tender procedure in the general sense of seeking offers in relation to a proposed supply contract. The Public Supply Contracts Regulations 1995 did not apply to this contract because the protection of the basic interests of the security of the United Kingdom exempted it.

Smallpox Vaccine Procurement

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 8 May (WA 178), whether they will:
	(a) name the five major pharmaceutical companies with which detailed confidential discussions were held;
	(b) publish the detailed requirements for vaccine strain, timing and delivery which were made clear to the companies;
	(c) state the information that was required to be contained in the responses that the companies submitted;
	(d) state how many companies submitted responses;
	(e) state when the companies were required to submit responses; and
	(f) state whether a decision to award the contract was made on the basis of the responses alone or whether other negotiations took place prior to contract award.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Detailed confidential discussions were held with five major pharmaceutical companies which were known to have vaccine manufacturing capability either in the United Kingdom or in Europe. The companies, whose agreement to being identified has been obtained, were Acambis, Aventis Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, PowderJect and RIVM. All the companies approached responded and the decision to award the contract was taken solely on the basis of the responses received from the companies. The details of the Government's requirements for smallpox vaccine are not being put in the public domain as this is information that might be of use to terrorists.

Beef Imports

Lord Hayhoe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What restrictions impede or prevent the import of mature beef from Chicago, United States, for human consumption in the United Kingdom.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Under European Union rules, beef derived from cattle of any age from a non-EU country is allowed entry into the EU only if it has been produced to standards at least equivalent to those that are required in EU member states. The EU Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (formerly the Standing Veterinary Committee) must approve both the country of origin for trade in a particular type of meat and also agree the list of specified plants which may produce for export to the EU. Meat must be accompanied by a veterinary health certificate issued by the authorities in the exporting country and must be presented on arrival in the EU at a border inspection post, where it is subject to veterinary checks.
	These inspections ensure that all conditions of import, including the appropriate specified risk materials declaration, have been complied with and ensure that the meat has remained in a satisfactory condition during transport. Once these checks have been carried out, a certificate of veterinary clearance is issued and the goods can move freely throughout the EU.
	The United States is approved to export beef to the EU, and for this purpose there are two approved establishments in Chicago. No additional restrictions apply for the import of mature beef from the United States into the United Kingdom.

Medical Toxicology Unit

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they reconcile the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 March (WA 37-38) with the letter of 4 October 2000 sent by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health to Paul Tyler MP in which she stated "the Medical Toxicology Unit provides post marketing surveillance for one company and advice on safety information for one company—a total of two companies with an annual average income of £3,000".

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The income received from agrochemical companies in payment for specific services amounts to, as stated in the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health to Mr Paul Tyler MP, an average over several years of £3,000 per annum. The average of £3,000 p.a. was for specific work on surveillance and advice on safety. The £15,000 was money that the trust asked for to help support registrar posts at the Medical Toxicology Unit. Zeneca Agrochemicals part funded a registrar training post for one year. This funding was added to existing funding that enabled the trust to employ registrars who undertook many general National Health Service medical roles. This included taking part in medical and toxicology clinics.
	No specific post was established in this period (1999–2000) and no specific research was started in this trial period.

Medical Toxicology Unit

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 March (WA 37-38), whether the possible conflicts of interest between a therapeutic role and the interests of a commercial agrochemical company were addressed by the Local Research and Ethics Committee of the Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital Trust at the time of the appointment of a specialist registrar, part-funded by Syngenta (then Zeneca); and, if so, how.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Local research ethics committees have no formal remit or accountability for ethical standards outside the research framework.
	The arrangement at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust is analogous to pharmaceutical industry schemes. The intention of the arrangement is to encourage research into poorly understood and poorly funded areas of the toxicology chemicals used in agriculture and horticulture. In the year of the scheme 1999–2000 no research was undertaken.

Medical Toxicology Unit

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 March (WA 37-38), how many patients who had been exposed to agrochemicals were seen and treated by the specialist registrar at the Medical Toxicology Unit; whether they were informed of the source of funding for the specialist registrar's post; and whether they gave written consent to be clinically examined and treated by the registrar.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Medical Toxicology Outpatient Clinic does not maintain a separate database which would allow easy identification of specific sub-groups of patients and their diagnosis. This would be done through research projects which require approval according to trust procedures, including ethical approval. Appropriate funding would be required for such research projects.
	Since the clinic is not undertaking any research on agricultural chemicals, the Medical Toxicology Unit registrars would have seen patients on the basis of their clinical need; therefore no such consent is required.

Medical Toxicology Unit

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the agrochemical company Syngenta (then Zeneca) was given access to the medical records of patients who had attended the outpatients' clinic of the Medical Toxicology Unit for illnesses related to exposure to pesticides and to National Poisons Information Service inquiry data on pesticide exposure incidents through the specialist registrar whose post was part-funded by the company; and, if so, whether the explicit consent of the patients involved was obtained.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Zeneca was not given access to patient information of any sort as a consequence of this scheme.
	Previous toxicovigilance schemes funded in part by Zeneca collected patient data for the purpose of monitoring paraquat toxicity. Zeneca medical staff were involved in the analysis of this follow-up data. However no identifiable patient specific data has been given to Zeneca personnel by the Medical Toxicology Unit.

Medical Toxicology Unit

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 7 March (WA 37-38), how many whole-time equivalents of the specialist registrar's post part-funded by Syngenta (then Zeneca) were spent dealing with agrochemical toxicology issues.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the year of the scheme 1999–2000 no research was undertaken.
	During this trial period no specific time was allocated for continuing medical education or research and development related to agrochemicals. It would therefore be difficult retrospectively to estimate the time spent on any work that might be regarded as funded by this scheme.

Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 13 May (WA 17), why information on the number of women refused an abortion because their particular circumstances do not fit the criteria of the Abortion Act 1967 is not collected centrally; and whether they have any plans to correct this.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: If two registered medical practitioners are of the opinion, formed in good faith, that an abortion is justified within the terms of the Abortion Act, the Act requires a certificate of opinion to be completed. If an abortion is performed, the Act also requires that a notice of the termination be sent to the Chief Medical Officer. From this notice, data on abortions are collected.
	Neither the Act nor the regulations require information on the number of women refused an abortion to be collected. We have no plans to start to collect these data.

Abortion

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 13 May (WA 18), under which sections of the Abortion Act 1967 selective reduction of pregnancies have been performed in the past five years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information requested is in the table.
	
		Numbers of cases with selective terminations by statutory ground, England and Wales, 1996–2000
		
			  Statutory Grounds 
			  A B C D E 
			 1996 0 1 29 0 29 
			 1997 0 0 28 0 25 
			 1998 1 13 28 1 22 
			 1999 0 8 18 0 19 
			 2000 0 8 9 0 20 
		
	
	A The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
	B The termination is necessary to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
	C The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
	D The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of any existing child(ren) of the family of the pregnant woman.
	E There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.

NHS Bank

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the board of governors of the shadow NHS Bank will be appointed; and whether they will be appointed by the National Health Service Appointments Commission.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the short term, the NHS Bank is not being established as a separate statutory organisation with non-executive directors that would require appointment by the NHS Appointments Commission.
	The shadow bank is being overseen by the Department of Health Director of Finance and Investment and four strategic health authority chief executives.

NHS Bank

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the shadow NHS Bank will be managed on a day-to-day basis; how many staff will be involved; who will employ those staff; and how the costs of the shadow NHS Bank will be accounted for.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the short term, the bank will be supported by strategic health authority and Department of Health staff as part of their wider financial and performance management roles.

NHS Bank

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On what basis grants could be paid by the shadow NHS Bank; and whether such grants would be recoverable; and
	On what terms, as to interest and repayment, loans to National Health Service organisations will be offered by the shadow NHS Bank.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The basis and terms on which any grants or loans may be arranged have yet to be determined.

NHS Bank

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What legal form the NHS Bank will have:
	(a) when it is operating in shadow form; and
	(b) when it is fully established; and
	Whether primary legislation is necessary for the full establishment of the NHS Bank; and, if not, how it will be established.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The future legal form of the NHS Bank has yet to be determined.

Filipino Nurses

Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer on Filipino nurses by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 21 May (WA 92) which indicated that ''a summit meeting is scheduled for 9 May'', which organisations were invited to the summit; and what were the outcomes.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: At the meeting held on 9 May there were representatives present from Department of Health, Philippines Embassy, Ambassador of the Philippines, UNISON, Royal College of Nursing, Recruitment and Employment Confederation, National Care Standards Commission, Independent Healthcare Association, Registered Nursing Homes Association and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
	All the parties who attended agreed to review their advice on international recruitment and supervised practice and to work together to improve the standards of all international recruitment of healthcare professionals to reduce delays in the registration process. Other outcomes included that the Department of Health would improve liaisons between the Overseas Labour Service, Work Permits UK, NMC and NCSC, establish the parameters for a helpline for healthcare professionals recruited from overseas and convene further meetings to take forward the agreed action.

Adoption Support

The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the range of annual expenditure incurred on post-adoption support by those local authorities which provide a full post-adoption service; and
	What is the most a local authority has spent on post-adoption over the course of one year; and
	What is the average cost of supporting the family of an adoptive child over a period of 10 years for local authorities in which a full range of post adoption support is provided; and
	What level of post-adoption support will be necessary to attract sufficient adopters for the Government to attain their target for increased adoptions.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Information on expenditure specifically for adoption support is not collected centrally. However, in 1999–2000 local authorities' gross expenditure on adoption including financial support was £56 million. This figure rose to £82 million for adoption services in 2000–01.
	We are committed to making adoption work more clearly, more consistently and more fairly. We recognise that better, more comprehensive, adoption support, including financial support, delivered when it is needed will help to improve the success of adoptive placements. We know that the existing provision of adoption support is inconsistent.
	That is why in our White Paper Adoption: a new approach we undertook to develop a framework for adoption support services aimed at developing a more consistent service for everyone affected by adoption. A consultation document setting out our proposals for the provision of adoption support services, including financial support, will be published shortly for full public consultation. A copy of the White Paper is available in the Library.
	The Adoption and Children Bill, which has completed its parliamentary stages in another place, was introduced in this House on 21 May. The Bill places a new clear duty on local authorities to make and participate in arrangements to provide adoption support services. This new duty will tackle the current inconsistency in the availability of adoption support services across the country. The Bill provides that the local authority's adoption service must be designed to meet the needs of children who may be adopted, their parents and guardians, prospective adopters and adopted people, their adoptive parents, birth parents and former guardians. Local authorities will also be required to carry out an assessment of need for adoption support where such an assessment is requested by a person affected by adoption.

Foster Care

The Earl of Listowel: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average cost of providing foster care for a child over a period of 10 years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Information on the costs over a 10-year period is not available. On current prices, the average cost to a local authority in England of providing foster care was £281 per child per week in 2000–01.
	Source: PSS PAF Indicator B10 collected on PSS EX1 return.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are listed as diseases in the United Kingdom, as they are in the United States.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the United Kingdom, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is included within the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) classification for hyperkinetic disorders. These are:
	F90.0 Disturbance of activity and attention (this includes ADHD);
	F90.1 Hyperkinetic conduct disorder;
	F90.8 Other hyperkinetic disorders; and
	F90.9 Hyperkinetic disorder, unspecified.
	In the United States of America the classification system used for this and similar disorders is the DSM IV TR.

Mineral Content of Food

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 16 May (WA 67), what was the evidence which the Food Standards Agency studied which led it to the conclusion that the Medicines Now research published in the April edition is not valid.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: I assume that the noble Baroness refers to an article in the April edition of Medicine Today which quoted government data gathered from a number of studies over a 50-year period. The data are valid for the purpose for which they were collected but they cannot be used to compare the mineral content of fruits and vegetables grown by traditional organic methods and those using artificial fertilisers. Further, for any such comparison to be valid, a number of confounding factors need to be taken into account, as indicated in my reply of 16 May (col. WA 67).

Mineral Content of Food

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the promotion of vitamin enhanced bread, as recently supported by the Food Standards Agency, should be regarded by parents as a substitute in the diet of their children for fruit and vegetables containing those vitamins; and, if so, how this affects their Five-A-Day programme.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Food Standards Agency supports statutory fortification of bread and flour involving calcium, and iron, thiamin and niacin at restorative levels. It would not encourage fortification with additional minerals and vitamins as a substitute for a balanced diet containing fruit and vegetables.

Heart Operations

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many coronary artery bypass grafts were carried out in successive years from 1990 within the National Health Service; and what was the average cost, including hospitalisation, of each operation in these years.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The number of coronary artery bypass grafts carried out in the National Health Service in England from 1990 is as follows:
	1990–91: 14,070
	1991–92: 16,046
	1992–93: 18,352
	1993–94: 20,394
	1994–95: 23,533
	1995–96: 22,922
	1996–97: 22,694
	1997–98: 22,181
	1998–99: 23,663
	1999–2000: 23,398
	2000–01: 24,387
	The mean average reference costs for coronary artery bypass grafts since 1997 (the first available data) are shown in the table:
	
		
			  Elective inpatient Non-elective inpatient Day case 
			 1997–98 £5,673 £6,105 n/a 
			 1998–99 £4,764 £5,044 n/a 
			 1999–2000 £4,956 £5,206 n/a 
			 2000–01 £5,483 £5,558 n/a

Heart Operations

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many precutaneous coronary interventions involving stents were carried out in successive years from 1990 within the National Health Service; and what was the average cost, including hospitalisation, of these interventions.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The number of percutaneous coronary interventions involving stents and information on their cost is not collected centrally.
	The number of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplastics (PTCAs) carried out in the National Health Service in England since 1990 is as follows:
	1990–91: 5,754
	1991–92: 7,891
	1992–93: 10,184
	1993–94: 11,660
	1994–95: 13,454
	1995–96: 14,911
	1996–97: 17,043
	1997–98: 17,291
	1998–99: 19,028
	1999–2000: 21,968
	2000–01: 25,698
	The mean average reference costs for PTCAs since 1997 (the first available data) are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Elective inpatient Non-elective inpatient Day case 
			 1997–98 £2,820 £2,673 £2,437 
			 1998–99 £2,553 £2,679 £1,213 
			 1999–2000 £2,369 £2,478 £1,267 
			 2000–01 £2,428 £2,689 £1,341

Heart Operations

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average life expectancy following coronary artery bypass surgery; and what is the failure rate of bare stents used in angioplasty.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This information is not collected centrally.

Heart Operations

Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why there is an under-provision of revascularisation procedures in the United Kingdom compared to (a) France; (b) Germany; (c) Belgium; and (d) the Netherlands; and how they plan to increase the number of these procedures undertaken in the United Kingdom.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have put in place a number of steps to increase the number of revascularisation procedures in England. These include extra funding to increase the number of operations—the NHS Plan target 6,000 extra operations by April 2003 should be met ahead of time. We are also increasing the number of facilities. In November 2001, we announced £170 million to rebuild or expand surgical facilities at eight centres across the country, creating 12 extra operating theatres and 380 extra beds: £65 million from the New Opportunities Fund, together with £15 million NHS capital, has been made available to expand catheter laboratories (used to carry out angiograms and angioplasties); the first wave will see 29 new and eight replacement laboratories.
	The Extending Patient Choice pilot scheme will also come into operation in July. Under this initiative, patients who wait longer than six months for their heart operation will be offered the choice of having their operation elsewhere, which should mean a shorter wait.barry c

NHS: Non-executive Directors

Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they agree with the statement of the National Health Service Appointments Commissioner reported in the Health Service Journal on 30 May that the core responsibilities of non-executive directors in the National Health Service are to support the executive team and to deliver the Government's new agenda.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Non-executive board members work alongside executive directors on corporate boards. Successive governments have emphasised the need for boards to observe the Secretary of State for Health's policies and priorities and to ensure that government targets are met.

Countryside Stewardship Scheme

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many staff were employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in each region in 2000, 2001 and this year to administer the Countryside Stewardship scheme; and of these how many in each region were primarily concerned with the access element of the scheme.

Lord Whitty: The table below shows the number of staff employed by the department in each region in 2000, 2001 and this year to administer the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
	
		
			 Region 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
			 East 44 36 44 
			 East Midlands 56 36 34 
			 North East 44 11 24 
			 North West 27 24 37 
			 Yorkshire and  Humberside 33 44 48 
			 South East 56 42 52 
			 West Midlands 30 46 40 
			 South West 69 68 78 
			 Total 359 307(1) 357(2) 
		
	
	(1) Reduction due to staff temporarily transferring to FMD duties.
	(2) Estimated figure from the Rural Development Service business plan.
	The access element of the scheme is not administered as a separate element of the scheme. Although there are designated national and regional access specialists, this role only forms part of a range of scheme work for which they have responsibility.

Ulster Scots

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they have taken following the presentation made in March 2001 by an Ulster Scots human rights group concerning the ° million movement of population in Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: A copy of the report was sent to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission last year, as requested by the noble Lord, Lord Laird, at a meeting held with George Howarth MP (then Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Northern Ireland Office). It was the Government's understanding that no formal response was required from us on the matter. However, the Government, take the issues with which the report deals extremely seriously and have taken a number of steps to ensure that people can reside where they wish free from fear or intimidation.
	I understand that the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission wrote to the noble Lord on 4 and 14 September 2001 explaining that the commission would consider the issue as part of its work on victims of the past. This work is ongoing.

Northern Ireland: Prisoners

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people are currently in prison in Northern Ireland; and under what categories including the non-political sections.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: As at 20 May 2002 there are 1,014 prisoners in Northern Ireland prison estabishments, including 129 inmates in HM Young Offenders Centre.
	The breakdown is as follows: there are 124 high risk, 752 medium risk and 138 low risk prisoners/inmates.

Northern Ireland: Visits by President of the Irish Republic

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions since 1998 the President of the Irish Republic has visited Northern Ireland; what was the total cost to the United Kingdom taxpayer of each visit; whether these visits were conducted with the full protocol required for a visiting head of state; and, if not, why not.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: The President of the Irish Republic has visited Northern Ireland on 62 occasions since 1998. Apart from the usual security requirements, any costs were borne by the organisations visited. The visits were classified as working or private visits or a combination of both and, as such, did not attract the full protocol afforded to state or guest of government visits.

Republic of Ireland: State Visits

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the arrangements for the proposed visit of Her Majesty The Queen to the Republic of Ireland will be similar to those visits by the President of the Irish Republic to Northern Ireland.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: There are no current plans for a state visit by Her Majesty The Queen to the Republic of Ireland. Therefore the Question does not arise. The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, has not yet made a state visit to any part of the United Kingdom.

Cabinet Meetings

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 21 May (WA 83), whether they will explain how information on when Cabinet meets, and the length of those meetings, if disclosed could ''harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion''.

Lord Williams of Mostyn: Successive administrations have regarded the ability of Ministers to meet and discuss policy issues in private to be essential for effective decision-making. This is reflected in Exemption 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which states that disclosure of the proceedings of Cabinet or Cabinet committees would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion, as I stated in my previous Answer on 21 May.